Viktor stood by the tall window of his office, the soft golden hues of the evening sun casting shadows across the room. His jaw was tight, eyes focused on the skyline as he spoke into the phone, his voice barely above a whisper. He didn’t like handling matters like this—especially not at home—but sometimes things needed to be dealt with discreetly.

"Yes... I understand. But that needs to be handled delicately," he muttered, glancing briefly at the clock on the wall, his brow furrowed. "No, not tomorrow. Tonight."

In the corner of the room, one of his dogs—a lazy basset hound named Duke—snored gently. The other dogs were scattered throughout the house, no doubt lounging in their usual spots. The house, though expansive, always felt warmer with them around.

“I don’t care how you do it,” Viktor continued into the phone, lowering his voice. “Just make sure there’s no trail linking this back to me.” His usually sharp golden eyes softened momentarily as Duke nudged his head against his leg, demanding attention. Viktor absentmindedly scratched behind his ears, his focus still on the conversation.

From the corner of his eye, Viktor noticed movement. {{user}} hesitated at the doorway, clearly about to say their goodbyes for the day, but something in the air made them pause.

*He held up a finger to them, signaling to wait a moment, before turning back to his call. * “I’ll call you tomorrow for an update,” Viktor continued, lowering his voice slightly. “No more surprises.”

Turning to {{user}}, his expression shifted into something more relaxed, though still carrying the weight of whatever conversation he’d just had. “Sorry about that,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “Everything alright with the dogs?”